Chapter 137

Demonic Cult

After a while, the cult leader’s subordinate brought three small sacks.

“This should be enough, right?”

Mok Wana slyly moved closer to Tang Mujin. Together, they opened the sacks.

The first sack contained poisonous herbs.
The second sack contained medicinal herbs.
The third sack contained animal-based toxins.

When Mok Wana checked the sack filled with toxic creatures, she frowned.

“Ugh.”

Even Mok Wana, who was familiar with poisons, found it unpleasant. Tang Mujin felt the same. Inside the sack, hundreds, if not thousands, of live insects and snakes were writhing and tangled together.

Looks like they were prepared as feed for the monstrous bird.

If it had been ordinary insects or small animals thrown together like this, they would have devoured each other in no time.

But the poisonous creatures in the sack did not eat each other. They merely squirmed about.

Poison recognizes poison. Moreover, they instinctively knew there was no guarantee that their venom could withstand the venom of another.

Tang Mujin nodded.

“This should be enough.”

“Yeah? If you need more, tell me in advance. That’s all we’ve gathered. Collecting more will take time.”

“Understood.”

The cult leader’s subordinate left, and silence filled the Poison Cavern. Mok Wana, who had been hesitating, cautiously approached and asked:

“What you said earlier… was it true?”

It was so out of context that Tang Mujin couldn’t understand at first.

“What do you mean?”

Mok Wana stammered, her voice so small it was as if she wanted to crawl into a rat hole.

“…You know, what you said before.”

Tang Mujin recalled. The cult leader’s subordinate had mentioned something about marriage.

Now he understood her question. She was bothered by someone making such a statement without her consent.

Tang Mujin immediately waved his hand.

“Sorry. I only said that because it seemed the easiest way to avoid suspicion and get what we needed. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“Worry? Hmm…”

Her reaction was strangely ambiguous.

“Why?”

“No, nothing. I just asked to be sure. Forget it.”

She said nothing more and withdrew into her small hideout.

Tang Mujin wondered if he had done something else wrong, but nothing came to mind.

She must be upset… but she’ll cool down eventually.

He scooped a few poisonous insects into a smaller sack and left the Poison Cavern.

***

Tang Mujin’s steps carried him toward the cult leader’s hall. He could see the monstrous bird still perched on its roof. Before, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now he noticed something.

Birds rarely sit still. Unlike beasts or wild animals, they are always restless.

Whether hungry or full, birds flit around constantly.

The only time they remain still is when brooding over eggs.

Tang Mujin climbed a tree dozens of jang away and observed the bird closely.

After a long while, the bird shifted slightly. At that moment, he glimpsed the bare pink skin beneath its chest feathers.

As I thought.

When birds brood, they pluck the feathers from their own chest to transmit body heat directly to the eggs.

That the monstrous bird had bare skin there meant it was brooding.

Now certain, Tang Mujin approached the cult leader’s hall. The poisonous energy thickened with every step.

But unlike before, when he couldn’t even come within twenty or thirty jang, he could now endure even within five jang.

I’ll go all the way.

Tang Mujin pulled out the Poison-Absorbing Bead. He hadn’t had it ready during his first encounter with the straw-hatted assassin, but after killing him the second time, he made sure not to repeat that mistake.

Unlike before, the bead had regained its pure white color.

The Poison-Absorbing Bead would darken as it absorbed poison, and turn white again when left in a clean environment.

Feeling uneasy, Tang Mujin wiped it a few more times with his sleeve before holding it between his lips and teeth.

That should do it.

The bead filtered the air. No trace of poison entered.

Tang Mujin leapt onto the cult leader’s hall roof. The monstrous bird stared at him. Facing a bird as large as a man even without its wings was an odd feeling.

It cocked its head suspiciously, as if realizing he wasn’t its usual feeder. Tang Mujin opened the sack slightly, revealing the poisonous creatures inside.

“Here, food. Does it really matter who I am?”

A feeding bowl had already been placed in front of the bird. Clearly, someone intended to keep it there.

Tang Mujin poured the contents of the sack into the bowl. The bird, as if it hadn’t eaten in days, devoured the poisonous meal eagerly.

While it was distracted, Tang Mujin carefully parted the feathers beneath its belly.

There lay an egg the size of a human head, faintly glowing bluish.

He thought he might be able to take a chick if he was lucky—but it was impossible. The egg was long empty.

A small hole at its base showed that someone had already drained its contents.

To fool the bird, they had refilled it with dirt, sand, and bran, sealing the hole to make it feel heavy.

Tang Mujin clicked his tongue.

Thorough.

Birds aren’t stupid. They won’t brood over a rotten egg.

If it smelled foul, the mother bird would have smashed it and left.

But without that smell, some birds would brood for months or even years.

So they’re making it brood until it dies.

Pitiful as the bird was, Tang Mujin had confirmed what he needed. He left the hall roof and returned to the Poison Cavern.

***

Even while staying in the cavern, he often visited the village to observe the mood.

It was clearly uneasy, even to outsiders.

People whispered nervously, sometimes gathering in secret. Occasionally, bloodstains or corpses appeared—surely cultists of the Doctrine Faction who had resisted the new leader.

While buying some daily necessities, Tang Mujin asked a merchant:

“Have you seen the Great Protector… no, the cult leader, today?”

The merchant’s voice carried resentment. He clearly disliked the new leader.

“Today? Yes. He struts around the village two or three times a day. Not even buying anything. I don’t know why he does it.”

“I see.”

It was the third day since the new leader killed the previous one and claimed the seat.

He wandered the village, occasionally holding minor ceremonies. It seemed to be a show of dominance and consolidation of power.

Tang Mujin chewed dried fruit and thought:

The cult leader will soon disappear from sight.

He was one of the strongest warriors in the world, and now possessed an ultimate martial arts manual.

Though he was active now, soon he would shut himself away to fully master his new skills.

On the fifth day, the cult leader indeed stopped showing himself.

One day passed. Then two, then three—and still no one saw him.

Instead, the Left and Right Protectors, and sometimes an unfamiliar grandmaster-level expert, strutted about the streets.

He must be in closed-door training.

When it ended, he would be even stronger. But Tang Mujin couldn’t worry about that now.

I need to find Elder Sam Anbul before it’s too late.

The cult leader had spared Sam Anbul during the execution, intending to win him over.

For now, he was alive—just imprisoned somewhere.

Tang Mujin’s escape plan was simple: cause chaos, rescue Sam Anbul, and use his strength to flee Mount Tian.

Elder Sam Anbul is skilled at escape. Taking me along shouldn’t be a problem.

The issue was that Tang Mujin didn’t know where he was being held. Surely the cult had a prison, but its location was unknown.

Should I just grab someone and ask? No… that’s too risky. There must be another way… Ah!

He went to find the same subordinate who had brought the poisonous creatures.

“What is it? Why are you here?”

“I came to ask you for a favor.”

The cult leader’s subordinate frowned.

“Hurry? If you need poisonous insects, I told you before—you have to ask in advance. Even rushing, it takes five to ten days.”

“No. Not poisonous insects. I need something else.”

“What?”

“People. I need someone who has learned martial arts.”

When Tang Mujin spoke in a low voice, the subordinate repeated, puzzled:

“People? For what reason?”

“I am a physician. What other reason could there be? Whether studying medicine or poisons, ultimately, people are always the standard of measurement.”

As Tang Mujin spoke vaguely, the subordinate gave him a weary look.

“I thought you were just a young doctor, but you’re far from ordinary. Even that infamous Demon Doctor didn’t try to secure human test subjects this quickly.”

“Well, since I’ve come all the way from home to distant Mount Tian, why should I hold back? When the opportunity comes, one must accumulate as much knowledge as possible, don’t you think?”

Tang Mujin made up a plausible excuse, and the subordinate, no longer suspicious, clicked his tongue.

“Count yourself lucky. If you’d brought this up under the previous cult leader, you’d have had problems. When the Demon Doctor needed test subjects, he had to leave the cult grounds to capture them himself.”

“In other words, now it can be done here, correct?”

“Quick-witted, aren’t you. Yes, you must have known before coming. After the new cult leader crushed the opposition, so many rebels were captured that the prison is bursting. If a few disappeared, no one would care.”

When someone asked for human test subjects, naturally the first people that came to mind were prisoners. And in this case, that was exactly what Tang Mujin needed—because prisoners meant the prison.

“Could I perhaps use someone trained in martial arts as a test subject?”

“How strong?”

Mentioning grandmasters here would be too suspicious. Tang Mujin suggested a compromise.

“First-class will do. If that’s difficult, a second-class martial artist with decent skill would be acceptable.”

“Understood. I’ll check with above and bring one to the Poison Cavern tomorrow. Just one enough?”

Of course, things wouldn’t be that simple. Tang Mujin didn’t need a test subject—he needed to locate Elder Sam Anbul. Being handed a prisoner at the cavern would defeat the purpose.

“One is enough. But… could I see the prisoners myself and choose?”

The subordinate gave him a sharp look.

Is he suspicious?

Tang Mujin’s heart sank, but he kept his expression calm.

Fortunately, the subordinate seemed to think it wasn’t such a strange request.

“That’s fine. I was going to the prison anyway. Come along.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Right. My influence is not so great that I can just gesture and have someone dragged out. Follow me.”

The subordinate led Tang Mujin slowly up Mount Tian.

Past the cult’s main hall where the leader resided, they entered a place surrounded by sheer cliffs, like towering stone pillars. A natural prison—once the entrance was sealed, there was no escape.

No wonder I couldn’t find it until now. Hidden away in a place like this.

Inside were two flat buildings reinforced with stone and iron. Guards stood at both, but one side in particular was watched by warriors of especially high cultivation—three masters at the peak level at least.

Their expressions carried tension.

Tang Mujin rejoiced inwardly. Someone who could make three peak experts nervous had to be imprisoned here.

Perfect.

The subordinate spoke with one of the jailers, then beckoned Tang Mujin inside.

Unlike the relatively dry, tolerable prison of the Mount Emei Sect, the Demonic Cult’s prison was above ground, yet damp and filled with a chilling cold.

Inside, at least forty people were imprisoned, two or three per cell.

Tang Mujin deliberately put on a cruel face, as though he were a mad physician eager to experiment on human bodies.

The prisoners, sensing something ominous, shrank back in fear.

One of the jailers said:

“You can pick anyone up to first-class. We’ll pierce their limbs with iron spikes so they won’t resist.”

Clearly a naturally cruel man, he said such things openly. Tang Mujin clicked his tongue inwardly but responded smoothly:

“Much obliged. If you suffer any ailments, please visit me at the Poison Cavern anytime. I owe you a favor.”

Physicians were scarce on Mount Tian—unlike warriors who constantly caused trouble, doctors seldom had reason to flee their hometowns.

Pleased to win Tang Mujin’s goodwill, the jailer smiled.

“However, those above peak level would be too much for you to handle, even restrained. Choose from around here.”

“Understood.”

Tang Mujin scanned the cowering prisoners while stealing glances deeper inside.

From the innermost cell, he saw a pair of feet—so large they were half again the size of a normal man’s. It had to be Elder Sam Anbul.

Excellent.

Straightening up, he casually pointed to someone else.

“I’ll take this one.”

“Only second-class?”

“That’s fine. What matters isn’t the amount of inner energy, but their constitution. I can restrain him myself, no need for spikes through the limbs.”

“Very well.”

But just as they were turning to leave, Tang Mujin heard a familiar voice.

“…So much for trusting you. Weren’t you supposed to be the luckiest under heaven?”

“And you strutted around like some unrivaled master, yet couldn’t handle three men?”

“If your skill were on par with mine, three would’ve been easy. Seriously.”

Tang Mujin’s eyes widened. He turned toward the sound. Alongside the familiar voices came familiar faces.

…Why are those guys here?

Two cells down from Sam Anbul’s—Namgung Myeong and Hong Geolgae were imprisoned.